She Was Only 16
by pistonsfan75
Summary: Ping grabbed the last cannon and started the avalanche. As Shang knelt on the cliff and looked at the tiny but tremendously brave warrior, he got an inkling of hope that maybe they could win. Story I wrote years ago, finally posting. Similar to my other Mulan stories, except for one thing. Warning: character death, explicit scenes.


I wrote this story 4 years ago, but it sat in my Google Docs files untouched until recently, when I decided to finish it.

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Captain Li Shang collapsed on his mat, exhausted. His new recruits were not doing well with training. They were clumsy, slow and inept. Their lack of progress over the last three weeks was discouraging, to say the least.

He had only been asleep for a few hours when he was awakened by someone entering his tent. As he was grabbing for his sword, the intruder laid down next to him. It was a female, and he had no idea who she was. Surprised, he laid his sword back down.

She was wearing army training clothes. He wondered what a girl was doing in army garb, at his training camp. She stretched out her body alongside him and planted her lips on his.

In spite of himself, Shang pulled her closer to him and returned her kiss. Weeks of nothing but inept male soldiers for company had made him hungry for a woman's touch.

She ran her hands up and down his chest, then sat up and removed her clothes. Whoever this girl was, she intended to have sex with him. She laid back down next to him, and planted her lips on his again.

As Shang deepened their kiss, his hands moved over her breasts, then drifted down to her heat. He heard her gasp as he slipped his fingers inside her.

He removed his pants, then climbed over her. As he gently pushed inside of her, a couple of tears ran down her cheeks. Whoever she was, she wasn't a prostitute. She'd been a virgin before now. He held still to allow her to get used to him being inside her.

When she smiled and nodded, he began moving over her. Her fingers tangled into his hair and she pulled him close and kissed him. His hands moved over her breasts again and his mouth left hers and found her neck. As he moved his lips over her throat and chest, she closed her eyes and moaned.

Shang leaned up and took her nipple into his mouth. He sucked on it for a moment, then did the same with the other one. She whispered his name.

"Shang…"

Whoever she was, she knew his name. She ran her fingers up and down his chest. He groaned, and increased the speed and depth of his thrusts. Her breathing grew heavier and faster, and Shang felt himself getting closer to the edge.

The girl under him suddenly threw her head back and arched her back with a moan that she muffled with her hand. The spasms of her release brought him to his own and his head fell against her shoulder as he quietly groaned into her hair.

She planted kisses along his neck as he held himself up over her so as not to crush her.

He tilted her head down and looked into her eyes.

"Who are you?" He wanted to know, so he could find her again. She shook her head and pushed up on him, so he turned to his side to let her up. Seeing the blood between her legs, he grabbed a rag from his washbasin and cleaned her up, then cleaned himself. Then he watched as she got up and dressed.

"Please don't go…"

She had turned to leave, but at his plea she stopped and looked back at him and shook her head. Then she was gone.

Shang pulled his pants back on and laid on his cot, thinking. A strange girl had just entered his tent and taken her clothes off and he'd given in to her, then she'd left. If it wasn't for the spot of blood on his cot where her virginity had bled away, he'd think it was a dream.

The next several months dragged on, but Shang didn't see the girl again. Each night when he laid down, he hoped she'd appear. He'd wake up every morning realizing she hadn't.

Meanwhile, the soldiers under his charge improved tremendously. One in particular, a young runt of a warrior named Ping, seemed to grow in strength and stamina overnight. His improvement inspired everyone else. The once clumsy recruits could now be called an army.

The night before he planned to start leading his troops to the front lines to join his father, the girl returned. This time she was already naked as she climbed into bed with him. He quickly removed his own clothing, eager to hold her again.

Shang pulled her closer to him and kissed her mouth and breasts and neck. His tongue flicked over her nipples, causing her to moan and gasp. As his fingers stroked the soft, sensitive flesh between her legs, she whispered his name. He continued touching and fingering her, and she begged him not to stop.

"I won't."

His fingers went inside her and his thumb rubbed the sensitive bump until she jerked wildly and bit down on her fist as he brought her to orgasm.

Her hand reached down and began to stroke his manhood over his pants, so he took them off. Then he climbed over her and pushed his way inside.

As he moved over her, she whispered "faster, harder" into his ear, so he obliged. Her body shook with his thrusts and she let out tiny moans with each breath. Her fingers dug into his back and she muffled a scream in his shoulder and her body jerked as an orgasm exploded in her. Shang felt his own orgasm rip through him, and he muffled his groans in her hair.

This time, she didn't leave. She stayed on his cot and allowed Shang to have her once more before she cleaned up, dressed and left. He begged again to know her name, but she refused.

.

.

.

.

.

As he and the troops made their way to the Imperial City, Shang thought about the girl a lot. He decided that after the war was done, he'd go back to Wu Zhong and try to find her. Maybe stay in a tent for a few nights and see if she appeared.

As he stood overlooking the valley full of fallen Imperial soldiers, he realized he may not live to make that happen. When Chien Po brought him his father's helmet, he knew he wouldn't.

As he stood looking up at the Huns on the mountain above him, he silently whispered a prayer to his father to watch over her. He would soon join him in the afterlife and China would fall.

Ping grabbed the last cannon and started the avalanche. As Shang knelt on the cliff and looked at the tiny but tremendously brave warrior, he got an inkling of hope that maybe they could win.

Shang realized Ping was wounded as he'd tried to help him to his feet. The medic had worked on him for what seemed like hours before appearing in the tent entrance and beckoning for the captain to approach. Shang jumped to his feet.

The medic led him away from everyone else before speaking.

"There's something you should know, Captain. Your soldier is female."

Shang stared at the medic in shock. "Female?"

"Yes, sir."

"I had no idea."

"You didn't?"

"No, sir."

"Well, apparently someone knew, because she is approximately five months pregnant."

Five months, thought Shang. The first time the girl appeared in his tent was about five months ago.

"A girl came to my tent about five months ago, and seduced me and I gave in. The baby is mine. Can I see her?"

"Yes. You need to know she's not going to make it. The wound is causing her to miscarry and I can't stop the bleeding. If you want to say goodbye, I suggest you hurry."

Shang silently nodded and hurried to the tent. Ping lay on the mat with her eyes closed, as white and pale as the snow surrounding them. Her hair was down and the bandages on her chest were blood stained. A puddle of blood was spreading out from under the blanket.

As Shang took her hand, she opened her eyes and looked at him. He could see the life was draining from her.

"Was it you in my tent?"

"Yes", she weakly whispered.

"What is your name?"

"Fa Mulan."

"How old are you?"

"I'm 16."

"Why didn't you tell me about the baby?"

"I was scared for anyone to find out."

"I could have sent you home, saved your life. You could have had the baby safely."

"And go home in disgrace, carrying a bastard child? I couldn't do that. It's better this way, that I'm dying."

"I would have married you first, made an honest woman of you and sent you home as my wife."

"I'm sorry. I didn't think you would want anything to do with me or the baby."

"You're wrong." Shang looked at the ground as the thought occurred to him that maybe his tent wasn't the only one she'd entered. "Unless it isn't mine…"

"It was yours. I was never with any other man. Just you."

"So no one else knew?"

"Chien Po did. He knew, but I never visited his tent the way I did yours."

"Did he know you were pregnant?"

"Yes, he did, and he knew it was yours but promised not to tell anyone."

Shang took her ice cold hands in his. "I would have married you, Mulan, and loved you. We could have raised our baby together after the war was over. I wish you had told me."

Mulan's voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke. "I'm sorry, Shang. Will you return my sword and armor to my family?"

Shang nodded, unable to speak.

"And please don't tell them I was with child."

"No, I won't. I promise."

"Goodbye, Shang."

"Goodbye, Mulan."

She closed her eyes for the last time, and Shang felt her hands go still. He leaned over until his forehead touched where his hands still held hers, and sobbed.

After a few moments, he stood up, knowing his troops still needed him to lead them. He walked outside and told the soldiers and Chi Fu that Ping was dead.

_So I ran like the wind to the water_

_Please don't leave me again, I cried_

_And I threw bitter tears at the ocean_

_But all that came back was the tide_

Then he motioned for Chien Po to follow him and they walked away from everyone else. Shang stared up at the mountain as he spoke.

"She lost the baby. She was only 16."

"I know, sir."

"I wish I had known about the baby. She miscarried as a result of her wound and the medic couldn't stop the bleeding. That's why she died."

"I wanted to tell you, but she made me promise not to. I told her everyday to tell you the truth, but she refused. I'm sorry, sir."

"I understand. You were loyal to your friend."

Both men stood silently staring at the mountain for several minutes. Shang noticed tears on Chien Po's cheeks. He finally broke the silence.

"I need to return her armor to her family. I promised her I would."

"I would be willing to return her armor for you, Sir."

"Thank you, Chien Po."

Shan Yu's sword was found as the Chinese army searched the pass for survivors. Shang put it with Mulan's armor.

No sign of the Huns was ever seen again. Ping's avalanche had destroyed every one of them.

Chien Po brought her armor and Shan Yu's sword to her family. They grieved over her death, and he grieved with them. They thanked him for returning the armor and kept the sword in a place of honor. Mulan would always be remembered, for her family and her fellow soldiers vowed to always keep her memory alive.


End file.
